1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording medium such as an optical disk of a high recording density type, which is capable of recording information such as video information, audio information and the like at a high density, and which is represented by a DVD (Digital Video or Versatile Disk). The present invention also relates to a recording apparatus for recording the information onto the information recording medium, and a reproducing apparatus for reproducing the information from the information recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a so-called LD (Laser Disk) and a so-called CD (Compact Disk) are generalized as optical disks, on which information such as video information, audio information and the like is recorded.
On the LD or the like, the video information and the audio information are recorded together with time information indicating a time at which each information is to be reproduced with respect to a reproduction start position, which each LD or the like has, as a standard position. Thus, other than a general normal reproduction to reproduce the recorded information in the order of recording, various special reproductions are possible, such as a reproduction to extract and listen to an only desirable music out of a plurality of recorded musics, a reproduction to listen to the recorded musics in a random order and so on, in case of the CD, for example.
However, there is a problem that, according to the above mentioned LD or the like, a so-called interactive and variegated reproduction is not possible in which the audience can have a plurality of selection branches as for the video or audio information to be displayed or sound-outputted and in which the audience can select them to watch or listen to it.
Namely, it is impossible for a user to choose the language used in the subtitle on the screen (e.g., from subtitle of Japanese and the original language) in the case of watching a foreign movie recorded on a LD or to choose the voices of a song (e.g., from English voices or Japanese Voices) in the case of listening to the music recorded on a CD.
Nowadays, apart from the above-mentioned conventional CD, it is proposed and developed a DVD which is an optical disc which disc size is identical to CD and which recording capacity is enhanced to be approximately ten times larger than that of CD. In the DVD, a plurality of information units, which together constitute successive or continuous video and/or audio information, are recorded separately on the disk, and the control information for those information units are also recorded in a manner corresponding to the respective information units. Therefore, the control information is referred to when the respective information units are reproduced. The control information includes information representing attributes of the information units as well as information representing reproducing orders of the information units.
However, since the attributes information is recorded only in pair with the information unit in a manner being preceding or following the corresponding information unit, the contents of the information unit is unknown until the information unit is actually searched and read. Therefore, if a user designates a special function and/or specification prior to the reproduction, he can not know the possibility of the designated special function or the like until the corresponding control information is searched and the contents are checked. In other words, even when the special function designated by the user can not be performed, the reproducing device needs to search for the corresponding control information and read the contents. Then, the reproducing device notifies the user that the designated special function can not be performed. However, viewed from the user, it is quite unfriendly and inconvenient because he has to wait for a while until the search ends and eventually is notified that the function is not possible.
On the other hand, if the author of the DVD has prepared the menu pictures representing various functions and/or specifications for the respective information units beforehand and has recorded them on the DVD, the user can rapidly achieve the desired function or the like by using the menu pictures. However, the preparation of the menu pictures completely depends on the discretion of the author side, and hence it is not always prepared for and recorded on every DVD. Therefore, when reproducing the DVD software on which the menu pictures are not recorded, the user cannot help encountering the above described inconveniences.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information recording medium, an apparatus for recording the same, and an apparatus for reproducing the same, which can perform the reproduction with achieving the special reproduction or the like in rapid response to the user""s instruction, and further positively offer the possible special functions to the user to invite the user to select the functions.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording medium including: a plurality of recorded information pieces being independent of each other; a plurality of individual attribute information pieces each corresponding to each of the recorded information piece and including information relating to attributes of the recorded information piece and functions in reproduction of the recorded information piece; and an aggregate attribute information piece, recorded at a position read out prior to any of the recorded information pieces on the recording medium, and including at least a part of the individual attribute information piece for all of the recorded information pieces.
In accordance with the recording medium thus configured, the individual attribute information piece including information relating to attributes of the recorded information piece and functions in reproduction of the recorded information piece is prepared for each recorded information piece. Further, the aggregate attribute information piece including at least a part of the individual attribute information piece for all of the recorded information pieces is recorded at the position read out prior to any of the recorded information pieces on the recording medium. Therefore, by utilizing the aggregate attribute information piece, the attribute information for all recorded information pieces can be rapidly and readily obtained.
The information recording medium may be so configured that the individual attribute information piece and the aggregate attribute information piece include information relating to the kind of the recorded information piece. By this, the attribute information relating to the kind of the recorded information piece may be rapidly and readily obtained.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing an information recording medium including: a plurality of recorded information pieces being independent of each other; a plurality of individual attribute information pieces each corresponding to each of the recorded information piece and including information relating to attributes of the recorded information piece and functions in reproduction; and an aggregate attribute information piece, recorded at a position read out prior to any of the recorded information pieces on the recording medium, and including at least a part of the individual attribute information piece for all of the recorded information pieces, the apparatus including: an input unit for inputting at least one of a designation of the recorded information piece to be reproduced and a designation of information relating at least one of the attribute of and the function in reproduction of the recorded information; and a reproducing unit for reproducing the designated recorded information piece in accordance with the designated information relating to one of the attribute and the function.
In accordance with the reproducing apparatus thus configured, the input unit receives the designation of the recorded information piece and/or the information relating to the attribute and the function of the recorded information piece. The reproducing unit reproduces the recorded information piece designated in accordance with the designated information. Therefore, the recorded information can be reproduced according to the function or the like which is designated by a user.
The reproducing apparatus may further include: a searching unit for searching for all of the recorded information pieces having the attribute designated by the input unit by referring to the aggregate attribute information piece; and a display unit for displaying a result of search by the searching unit.
In accordance with the apparatus thus configured, when the user makes the designation, the searching unit searches for the recorded information pieces having the designated attribute, and the display unit displays the result. Then the user designates the recorded information piece to be reproduced after watching the display, the reproducing unit reproduces the recorded information. Since the searching unit makes the search using the aggregate attribute information piece, it does not have to refer to all individual attribute information, and hence it is possible to quickly notify the recorded information pieces which have the designated attribute. In addition, the user can select a desired recorded information piece by watching the search result displayed.
The reproducing apparatus may further include: a searching unit for searching for all of the recorded information pieces for which the function designated by the input unit can be performed, by referring to the aggregate attribute information piece; and a display unit for displaying a result of search by the searching unit.
In accordance with the apparatus thus configured, when the user makes the designation, the searching unit searches for the recorded information pieces for which the designated function can be performed, and the display unit displays the result. Then the user designates the recorded information piece to be reproduced after watching the display, the reproducing unit reproduces the recorded information. Since the searching unit makes the search using the aggregate attribute information piece, it does not have to refer to all individual attribute information, and hence it is possible to quickly notify the recorded information pieces for which the designated function can be achieved. In addition, the user can select a desired recorded information piece by watching the search result displayed.
The reproducing apparatus may be so configured that the displaying unit displays that the designated function can not be performed, if the searching unit does not find any recorded information piece for which the designated function can be performed. By this, the user can immediately know whether or not the designated function can be achieved.
The reproducing apparatus may further include a display unit for displaying the functions which can be performed for the recorded information piece designated by the input unit. Therefore, the user can rapidly know the functions which can be achieved for the designated recorded information piece.
The reproducing apparatus may further include: a checking unit for checking whether or not the designated function can be performed for the designated recorded information piece, by referring to the aggregate attribute information piece; and a display unit for displaying that the designated function can not be performed, if the checking unit determines that the designated function can not be performed for the designated recorded information piece. By this, the user can immediately know whether or not the designated function can be performed.
The reproducing apparatus may further includes: a checking unit for checking whether or not the designated function can be performed for the designated recorded information piece, by referring to the aggregate attribute information piece; and a control unit for allowing the reproducing unit to reproduce the designated recorded information piece if the checking unit determines that the designated function can be performed for the designated recorded information piece. By this, the reproduction is quickly starts after the designation by the user.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information recording apparatus including: a first producing unit for producing a plurality of recorded information pieces each being independent of each other; a second producing unit for producing a plurality of individual attribute information pieces each corresponding to each of the recorded information piece and including information relating to attributes of the recorded information piece and functions in reproduction of the recorded information pieces; a third producing unit for producing an aggregate attribute information piece including at least a part of the individual attribute information piece for all of the recorded information pieces; and an arranging unit for arranging the recorded information pieces, the individual attribute information pieces and the aggregate attribute information pieces on an information recording medium, wherein the arranging unit positions the aggregate attribute information piece at a position read out prior to any of the recorded information pieces on the recording medium.
In accordance with the recording apparatus thus configured, the third producing unit produces the aggregate attribute information piece and the arranging unit records it at the position read out first. Therefore, it is possible to produce an information recording medium from which the attribute information for all recorded information pieces can be rapidly and readily obtained.